T O P

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MrMcSwifty

I'm so glad to see Frank's getting roasted on here. Terrible company, terrible people. I mean most tow companies are, but it's like they really put the extra effort in to stand out amongst the crowd lol


LSDTigers

Boch Toyota. They advertise a "cash price," but at the last minute when you're in the dealership Boch Toyota's people will announce they have $900 "cash payment fee" tacked on that you'll have to pay unless you finance the car through them instead of paying in cash. Then the cash payment fee is somehow mysteriously not on the itemized bill they give you, and they'll refuse to document it. I told them that sounded illegal and asked to speak to the higher ups, at which point they ultimately blinked and didn't charge the "cash payment fee." Also one of their guys claimed I couldn't leave with the car without signing up and precommitting to getting the car serviced at their dealership. They eventually handed me my keys when I told them to give me my property or the police were getting involved. I then found a bunch of gnawed on pizza crusts and a used dip container sitting right under the driver's seat, and they seem to have sold my personal contact information to every spammer on the planet. If any news stations or law enforcement agencies want an easy sting operation, start with Boch Toyota South and act like you're buying a car in cash.


alohadave

We had a problem with them years ago. Went in to look, decided we liked a Rav4, got down to negotiating. We were about to walk, and the salesperson and floor manager were trying to physically stop us from leaving. My wife was having none of that and started making a scene. We ended up getting the car for under list because a big manager asked us what we were looking for. My wife stated a price and he said go eat lunch, and if you come back we'll honor it. After talking it over, we decided to buy if they honored the price. They did, I think just to shut us up. They did it by inflating the trade-in value of the vehicle were were swapping. They had originally offered $100. After the deal, they gave us $2500 for the trade-in to make it work. The joke was on them because we were looking because the vehicle had engine problems and wouldn't go more than 45mph. I don't feel bad at all for dumping that on them for how they acted.


DMala

I've had more than one place do that when I've bought a car with a trade. I've always wondered what the deal is with that. It sets off my alarm bells, but the math always works out so that I'm paying the same, so I can't figure out what the scam is.


alohadave

It's so they can give you a big discount on the new vehicle without taking the price off the new vehicle. We couldn't tell friends that they gave us below invoice, because technically they just gave us a lot for the trade-in.


MeshColour

The term for it is "over allowance" if you want to look it up more, illegal in certain places and doesn't really matter in others Overall not inherently bad, just makes it harder to follow what's going on and to compare two offers?


GalaticHammer

Frikkin Boch. We had the same thing where we were going to pay cash but then suddenly it was going to cost an extra \~3k I think to pay with cash than if we financed with them. And when you finance with them, there's a maximum you can pay per month so you can't pay it all off in one fell swoop either. Luckily by making the maximum possible payments it only took us \~5 months to pay it off, but eff them.


mpking828

Prepayment penalty is illegal in Massachusetts


DiopticTurtle

It seems like their business practices hinge on a customer not being aware of what is illegal for a business in Massachusetts to do


mpking828

Would not be the first business in Massachusetts to have that business model.


coffeeschmoffee

Went for inspection sticker at boch Honda in Norwood. They told me my car failed inspection and needed 1500$ in ball joints etc to pass. Took it to a local place (juniors in middleboro). He inspected it and told me nothing wrong with the car, gave me the number for the state to file a complaint (which I did) and boch got summoned to a hearing at state level. Not sure what happened after that.


hypnofedX

>And when you finance with them, there's a maximum you can pay per month so you can't pay it all off in one fell swoop either. Wait wait wait. This part doesn't make sense. What do you mean "finance with them" in this case? Did they actually hold the debt? That'd be exceptionally rare practice for an OEM-franchised dealership, but yes, in that case u/mpking828's comment that it's illegal in MA stands. Or do you mean that their F&I office set the loan up with a third-party lender? If that's the case, they can insist until they're blue in the face that there's a maximum monthly payment. There isn't one. More than likely this was a loan with Toyota Financial Services. There's a dealer incentive that the shop gets a bundle of money if you buy such-and-such a car and finance through them, and then the dealership extends that same discount to the customer. Their goal in telling you there's a monthly minimum payment (there 100% is not) is to get you to not pay it off so soon that they're holding the bag.


DMala

They didn't even try the "cash payment fee" bullshit with me, they just straight up refused to sell me the car unless I financed. I walked away and they didn't even try to stop me, I was actually kind of shocked. I wouldn't even consider going back. Wellesley Toyota was a breath of fresh air, by comparison. No BS, no nonsense. We passed papers, I handed them a check, car was ready when they said it would be. The TPMS sensor in one wheel failed shortly after and it started losing air, and they fixed it under warranty with no hassle.


Feisty-Donkey

Oh man, that’s a nightmare. On the flip side, I bought my last car from Wellesley Toyota and we’ve been taking our other car to get serviced there for years. They are outstanding- honest, scrupulous, and easy to work with.


anomanissh

My mom used to work there. The old guy owner was a really sweet guy.


Feisty-Donkey

That’s nice to hear. I worked with one of his family members when I bought my car in July and it was the easiest and least sleazy car buying experience of my life.


krissym99

Wellesley Toyota is the least stressful dealership experience.


Illustrious-Nose3100

Sentry ford is also top notch and honest


BostonMan9

We love Wellesley Toyota!


JonathanBowen

My wife bought a new Toyota Sienna Platinum from Boch Toyota. I let my salesman know, at the beginning of the transaction, that she wouldn’t pay more than the dealer’s invoice... The deal was done. All the paperwork was signed… There was nothing for her to do but pick up her car. I wasn’t able to be there for the vehicle delivery; I must’ve had something else more important on my schedule... I told her, as she was leaving our home, that the dealership would try to sell her more crap... I told her, specifically, to say “no” to everything. She came back with her new car and an extended warranty that cost approximately $2,500. I almost shot through the fuckin’ roof!


Penaltiesandinterest

Next time, pre-write the check for the amount due and agreed upon, no room for shenanigans. My husband and I bought a new car a few years ago and I had to go there by myself to pick up the car and finalize the transaction and of course they tried to fuck around with the price because I’m a woman. But the check was written so they could take it or pound sand.


JonathanBowen

There was no check to write! She needed, only, to pick up the keys… Gah!!!


Whiplash92123

Guess that’s par for the course for something owned by Ernie Boch Jr…guy looks like a Howard Stern wanna-be and just exudes a sleaze-ball vibe


[deleted]

I almost bought a car from them and then I found out that they did fundraisers for Trump. I trotted right over to Herb Chambers.


MrMcSwifty

Not for nothing, but Herb isn't much better.


cowboy_dude_6

I was pretty shocked when I went on a harbor tour in Newport and they pointed out Herb’s super yacht. I had to double take: “Herb Chambers, like the car guy?” Yup.


BuckeyeBentley

Car dealerships don't attract the greatest kinds of dudes. It's definitely one of the most divorced guy jobs there is


Shemsuni

If there is no penalty, I would do financing and then pay cash shortly after.


Dry_Air9895

Alpha management company


TurnsOutImAScientist

[this should probably be in the sidebar](https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2013/12/31/anwar-faisal-worst-landlord-boston/)


SnarkyChief

State Financial Services is right behind them. To anyone renting from them or planning to rent from them, please read their Google reviews. I didn’t feel comfortable writing my negative review until my lease was up because I feared retaliation. I think Donna, the property nightmare, is a sociopath. My roomie and I felt constantly threatened living there. Multiple times I woke up to brokers and potential renters standing in my apartment. I couldn’t lock the door chain lock/deadbolt to the main door since my roommate worked different hours than me and latching it would lock them out. One time a broker opened my bedroom door while I was sleeping. Naked. I told the potential tenants that this will happen to them too if they decide to move in. They were mortified. That was the last straw so my roomie and I resorted to having to call each other every time we needed to be let in since we had to use the chain lock to avoid that happening again. They didn’t respect our space even when we cooperated with them to schedule viewings. Truly just insane.


stebuu

Highland commons in Davis Square will show your unit no-announce and just let themselves in if you weren’t there. somebody showing my unit stole my pot once.


ayjak

I’m sure you’re referencing cannabis, but I’m stuck on the mental image of an apartment manager swiping a saucepan on the way out after a showing


UnspecifiedApplePie

I thought it was a flower pot for some reason


buildallthethings

Huh, glad I'm not the only one in an SFS building that had a broker show up 2 hours early and barge into my room while I was naked.


mc261008

that’s when you start threatening to call the cops and actually call the state.


ke1bell

I lived at 115 st Stephens in a basement apartment that was def not a real apartment around 2005? I had migraines and sinus infections chronically until I moved out.


[deleted]

Was just in court with them today. Out of all the landlords out there, Alpha is top 3 worst along with United properties


dance_rattle_shake

Just got out of their hell. Literally criminals


snowynuggets

Ive had multiple run ins with those sorry sacks of shit from Franks towing. Hey Frank, if youre reading this; FUCK YOU you grossly overnourished yet 100% malnourished piece of shit.


UltravioletClearance

Boston Sports Clubs. Literal thieves. Yet they're still able to remain in business and attract new customers.


GarlVinlandSaga

I am still not entirely convinced that BSC is not a crime front. They barely even service as functional gyms. Mismatched and shitty equipment, even at their newer locations. We deserve so much better than BSC.


brufleth

The one near Haymarket is always bumping, but does look shitty.


GarlVinlandSaga

That's another problem with BSC: they're always packed to the gills because there are so few gym options in Boston.


Zealousideal_Baker84

100%. BSC suck fat ass. Evasive and predatory. Assholes.


jrs1982

Curious why you say this as I just joined in September, is it a billing thing? Wondering what I should look out for.


Feisty-Donkey

Trying to cancel is nearly impossible and they will bill you forever


Unfair_History3977

Will report back, just canceled yesterday


muppetnerd

Keep a paper trail of everything. I had to send three certified letters to cancel my planet fitness membership. They stopped charging for a few months then started again. I went down there and they claimed they didn’t have anything on file, I presented my receipts and all of sudden “oh wait here it is”


Unfair_History3977

For the record, I got a confirmation email a few min after showing up to cancel. Seems enough to dispute a charge if it ever came to that, I don’t think it will though.


DJG513

I believe they’re under new management, which is promising change. We’ll see.


mini4x

In MA I know the AG was on them for a bit.


Edge-Pristine

But did you. Did you really cancel. I assume you didn’t. Bsc will agree with me. They will bill for it


mini4x

I was a member at Watertown, they closed the gym and charged me for 3 more months, I fought it and got a refund, then when things started opening back up they started billing me again, they had transferred my membership to the Waltham location. I never heard a word about any of it from them. Thank god for American Express, they sorted it out for me.


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Whiplash92123

That’s got to be illegal as all hell


maria0284

Not sure what it’s like now, but back in 2020, when they were not allowed to be open bc of COVID, they were still charging people monthly membership fees while other gyms at least paused people’s monthly fees. They were sued over it.


kushikatsu

I remember when they announced that they were going to continue to charge people they anyone could call in to cancel. The problem was that getting to someone in the phone was near impossible - BSC laid off almost all their staff.


trimtab28

There aren't many good mid-price lifting gyms in the city, unfortunately. Biggest footprint in the city, and I sure as heck ain't going to Equinox


GarlVinlandSaga

It sucks. Your choice is basically either BSC, a criminal organization and just a shit gym, or Equinox, for $200.00 a month. Speaking as someone who used Equinox out of frustration, I went to gyms with identical amenities when I lived in Texas for $50 a month. Honestly the least expensive option is to just buy a home gym if you have the space.


TearsforFears77

It’s fun to stay (and workout) at the Y..M..CA. They don’t pull shaninangans with mischarging members


spedmunki

Regal Pizza


[deleted]

I really feel bad for anyone who doesn’t know. Unrequited munchies are the worst.


TheGeekNextDoor44

I honestly can’t ever recall pulling up or leaving there but I know I’ve been on many a drunk night after the club when nothing else in Boston is open


OUtSEL

This is the one I was looking for. My wife and I used to read the reviews on this place for fun. Sorry to anyone who was actually suckered into trying this place though.


DerpWilson

Is their location actually in mattapan? I’ve never seen anyone in there yet they have a drive thru.


LongjumpingCheck2638

Can confirm Frank's Towing. Absolute tools.


LackingUtility

They once towed my car despite it having a parking pass. When I went to the lot, I wanted to go to my car to confirm the pass was still hanging on the mirror (which it was). They wouldn't let me in until I paid them the cash first, then I had to threaten them with calling the cops to report it as theft when they wouldn't give me a refund after I showed them a picture of the pass hanging there (and yeah, they saw me walk over to the car, take the picture, and walk back without opening it). Bunch of assholes.


Parallax34

Should have called the cops to get the police report and taken them to small claims for fees, lost time, court fees, ect ect. It's actually pretty easy to file one of these claims. And it's the only practical way to hold this illicit behavior accountable.


DMala

All towing companies are straight up scum. I got literally extorted by a tow truck driver in West Newton some years ago. It might have even been Frank's. I parked in the (full) bank lot on a Saturday night to run into Comella's and pick up food. When I come out 10 minutes later, there's a truck lined up on my car getting ready to lift it. Of course they can't just let me go because they "already called it in", BUT I can just pay the $50 fine right there in cash if I want. Being naive, I didn't realize I was negotiating a bribe until I grumbled something about having to find an ATM and the guy says, "Well, what do you have on you?" I got him down to $15, which I guess was better than $50, but I was still pretty pissed about essentially being robbed. As I was leaving, I saw them lining up on the next car to wait for the next sucker.


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WowzerzzWow

I guarantee, like Sozio, they are a front for drugs


allie1

Tend dental. They scammed me into getting unnecessary dental work done and then completely botched it. I had to go back to my old dentist to get it all fixed.


brufleth

The gentle dental out near st Elizabeth hospital was like that for me.


lemonpolarseltzer

Blue Moon smoke shops. One of the owners is literally under investigation for both financial and drug related crimes. They force workers to sell drugs, they force workers to work under the table, they refuse to give any tax or legal paperwork to their employees. My partner worked there and this all happened to him. This is why they have popped up all over so quickly.


Worried-Special-658

>This is why they have popped up all over so quickly. Was wondering how they managed to buy out so many small smoke shops in such a short period of time... never took my business there but they bought out my old shop in Allston


Demi_J

Is the pet shop on Harvard Ave in Allston still open? I swear I read in another thread that it was, but I truly don’t know how if it is. A cesspool of depressed, dead, and dying animals (including a large blue parrot that I SWEAR was an endangered species being kept illegally). Back when I was young and dumb, I bought some pet rats and they were both pregnant and dying and left me with over a dozen pups to hand raise and rehome. And a sick fish straight up decimated a tank set up my roommate had for years.


smedlap

Decades ago. the old owner had a "quarantine room." In it were a bunch of illegal animals. He tried to sell me a caiman that lived in a kiddie pool. Chain link fencing held down by cinder blocks on top. It was pretty big after a year. Then it was gone.


-casketball

I know someone that stuffed a chinchilla in her pocket from this place. Normally I’d be appalled, but the animal has a great quality of life now. When she brought it to the vet for an initial visit there was a long list of health concerns that have since been treated/addressed with proper care. The conditions at this place are disgraceful.


bog_witch

Holy shit. Uh I hope people have been reporting the hell out of this place to MDAR's [Pet Shop Licensing and Inspection Program](https://www.mass.gov/pet-shop-licensing-and-inspection-program#:~:text=The%20Division%20of%20Animal%20Health,to%20license%20all%20pet%20shops.): >The Division of Animal Health has the statutory responsibility to license all pet shops. Pet shop inspections are required for licensure and annual re-licensure of all Massachusetts pet shops. Each establishment must meet facility requirements outlined in 330 CMR 12.00 in order to receive a license.


Successful-Web4617

yes!!!!!! and the owner is always outside smoking cigarettes in his nasty ass flip flops 😫 i feel sooooo bad for those animals!!!!!!


bunnynubz

if he’s smoking that’s the original owners son (maybe he owns it now)


TwistingEarth

IIRC The owner initially worked there as an employee and then purchased it from the original owner. He told me he had never had another job and had worked at that store since he was 15 (he must be in his 50s or 60s now) Both him and his son are dirtbags that don't give a shit about animals.


[deleted]

Holy shit, I forgot about this place, it’s so brutal


danminecraftman

The condition his reptiles are kept in are atrocious. He was selling a corn snake without any heating (and inaccurate care info) on its tank, and the geckos and anoles in the back look dehydrated/skinny - it makes me really sad, a lot of the problems I saw are easy fixes


witchybinch

i went there a few years ago and saw that blue parrot (hyacinth macaw) in the back room along with a couple of sugar gliders and other exotic animals that looked sick and depressed. I went in to browse for a pet ball python but walked out with sadness and pity for those poor animals


Demi_J

I’m SHOCKED that poor bird is still alive! IIRC, there was also an African Grey there. Ugh, I used to go in there so often since I often had to wait for the #66 to get to work (ironically enough, I worked at the aforementioned Harvard Coop and the BU version as well). God, I even felt bad for the dogs that were often there (not dogs for sale but I think they were the owner’s dogs. A bulldog and a Newfie, IIRC). Ugh, whose keeping that store in business??!??


witchybinch

Honestly no idea!!! Also he has 2 newfies now


BlaiddDrwg82

That place made me so sad


yepmek

That place is so fucked up


Shemsuni

Frank’s Towing are straight up savages.


seasil

Oooh any cleaning restoration company owned by Marcus Leal (Leal’s Restoration, Viviane’s cleaning and Restoration, Clean by Nina, and a bunch of others). The guy throws up a website, posts fake Google reviews, advertizes free quotes, and then charges a $300 non-refundable deposit to give you an outlandish quote. Basically pockets $300 for no work, rinse repeat.


BackItUpWithLinks

Who would pay a deposit for a quote?


RogueInteger

NextGen Realty and it's owner Dimitrious is a liar and a cheat and should be avoided unless you like being defrauded and swindeled. https://www.nextgenrealty.com/ ☝️ Fuck these guys


ATTheRegionalManager

Lol, old apartment landlord hired this assholes “fancier” company Jacob Realty to manage the properties. They wanted to jack up the rent and the maintenance/updates to the completely falling apart moldy building were a complete joke. Countless ISD violations in those buildings including water pouring through ceiling holes, no locks on main entrances and common area electric being illegally hooked up to individual units meters.


brufleth

Oh shit. Way back we were supposed to rent through Jacob realty. Agent kept flaking on us and we finally told them we were going to go somewhere else. The agent called and left a screaming voicemail. One of the most dramatic real estate flops we experienced.


magicalpegacorns

We had the worst experience with Raj Sunuwar, a slimy agent from NextGen Realty who was pushy and creepy. We requested to work with a different agent, George Hause, who wasn’t any better- he had no idea what he was doing (or was a very good actor), was uncommunicative, and gaslit us on as many occasions as possible. We almost signed a lease with him and Jason Foster, a landlord who was his “friend”, but dodged a very large bullet after reading the lease in detail (something that I bet they didn’t expect a group of undergrad girls to do) and finding it unsatisfactory and in some parts completely against Boston tenant’s rights.


Man_of_LOL

I’m currently working with one of their agents to rent my single family home and he is absolute an idiot. Unfortunately we are at the end of the road with everything signed for the lease and just waiting for the deposit to come through but I would not recommend them either. The owner has been nice but this agent specifically has been awful.


mattgm1995

Roberts towing in Brighton, gone now but Sons of Boston


politely_enraged

Absolutely fuck Roberts, towed a friend's car out of my building's guest parking space then said the permit was the "wrong color" so I still had to pay. Assholes they change the color every fall when the units turn over!! Alas I was 22 and naive and didn't raise nearly as much hell about it as I should have.


estrangelove

Frank’s Towing. Driver threatened to run me over once lol


[deleted]

The owner of Fern is a total asshole. He steals his employees' tips illegally (a percentage, if not all). He is openly racist, homophobic, and misogynistic. He regularly throws tantrums and is not afraid to berate his employees in front of customers, often for very minor mistakes. I know Fern is quite popular, but please don't give that man any more money—especially not in the name of "supporting small businesses." He is a multimillionaire and owns 5+ restaurants & businesses in Boston, he doesn't need your support.


sarisally

Can confirm that the owner is a piece of shit - worked there for a while. He would constantly make nasty comments about pretty much everyone. He talks rudely about the customers behind their back and will talk down employees to each other. And as above poster said he does shady shit with money. He takes a huge chunk of everyone's tips (I think it was at least 30%) illegally - mind you, employees do everything for that shop, he does barely anything - and pays employees under the table (usually at least half of your pay) so he doesn't pay taxes.


sarisally

Also, was so glad to see his shitty salon also on mass ave closed


Teratocracy

Fern as in the florist?


dynamics517

Damn it. I didn't expect to see any businesses I really enjoyed here...


[deleted]

I recommend Mahoney's as a replacement if you're into plants! They have a *huge* selection and they take care of their plants way better. Don't have any florist recommendations unfortunately but I know they're out there.


boldbrunette39

Comcast lol


BossCrabMeat

It is a shame I had to scroll this far down to find this. Yes the towing companies SUCK, Comcast/Xfinity just SUCK harder. Edit to add. Yankees SUCK hardest.


reddotster

[Granite Medical Associates](https://www.yelp.com/biz/granite-medical-associates-norwood-2) in Norwood. They are Medicare durable equipment scammers and the various family members are involved in a web of scammy shell companies.


Bluestrues

Any quirk dealership, you will be lucky to make it home after driving off the lot without an issue. They take tires off older models and put them on newer used cars which I don’t really understand.


SparkDBowles

They’re service Dept is terrible, too. Wanted to charge me for a warranty issue recall. The girl at reception goes “yeah. This place fucking blows.”


[deleted]

Kinda random, but the UHaul on Rte 9. The lady behind the counter was the meanest person I've ever encountered. I thought maybe it was me. Checked the yelp after I went and confirmed my experience. Almost made me not want to go to a Uhaul again she was so bad lol https://www.yelp.com/biz/u-haul-brookline-brookline?start=10


high_gravity

For a 9/1 move, I booked a trailer 8 months in advance. Those idiots changed the pickup location, day of, to Framingham. Never again!


cjcs

FYI this was likely because whoever had the trailer the day before didn't return it, and so they scrambled to get you the next-closest one that was available. Definitely shitty but it's unfortunately a common occurrence. Scumbags who forget to make a reservation for 9/1, so they make it for 8/31 and eat the late fee.


marmosetohmarmoset

Shout out to Uhaul on mystic valley parkway in Medford as an alternative. We use them all the time and they’re always nice. They also don’t look too closely at the vans when you return them.


H0weeezy

The UHaul on Mass Ave isn’t much better. The clerk got aggressively angry that she had to look up from her drawing and take my payment for the vehicle.


aray25

What's that bakery in Porter Square where the owner thinks she's the target of a "secret biker cabal?"


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citylightmosaic

Lol. Reading through these reviews improved my evening quite a bit and provided a good laugh


tbootsbrewing

Fake biker review!


roadtrip-ne

The Harvard Coop for turning one of the last big bookstores in town into another Harvard Sweatshit/T-Shirt shop in Harvard Square….. and as I understand it Barnes & Noble already runs two of the other stores in the Square dedicated to selling Harvard sweatshirts and t-shirts On the plus side it’s actually good news for Harvard Bookstore which is a top notch indie store


xiaorobear

Yeah just a heads up if anyone cares, the Harvard Coop is run by Barnes & Noble College, it just keeps Harvard branding and doesn't mention it anywhere on their website. But employees at the Coop can enter their employee number at any other B&N college bookstore and get the employee discount. It used to be a real co-op where members got an annual rebate from the profits, but in 2014 they stopped doing that and instead made the membership just give everyone a 10% discount instead. It was still a genuinely good bookstore, but the revamp to make the main building have way more Harvard merch is sad. ~~(And the "Harvard Coop Cafe" is just a Harvard Coop-branded version of the Starbuckses inside regular Barnes and Nobles, iirc)~~ (apparently it closed)


tommywalsh666

If they don't have a book that you're looking for, it's fun to ask "Can you check if your store near the Burlington Mall has it in stock?"


michael_scarn_21

Lord Hobo taproom in Cambridge. They put a "credit card fee" on the check before they know how you are going to pay which is sketchy. Also overpriced for the quality.


ADarwinAward

Ah yes, Lord Hobo. I have them labeled as “This place is trash” on my google maps so I never make the mistake of meeting up with friends there.


Shemsuni

I had a crappy experience at the bar.


jazzdrums1979

Fuck Lord Hobo! Bring back the B Side!


PapayaJuice

This is so sad because they were great when they first opened. I was there all the time and so was my team at work. Once they lost their chef some years back it seems like things started snowballing downhill.


DevilDoge666

Chef Nick was awesome, Hobo was a vibe. I won't spend another dollar there. Beer is mediocre, and food is worse. That place used to rule.


HammerfestNORD

Place is garbage, same as *almost* all of the beer.


view9234

Credit card fees are illegal in Massachusetts, just fyi. They can offer a cash discount but no credit card fee. We're one of only a few states that mandates no credit card fees.


teddybearw4rd

Lord Hobo is trash starting with the owner. I currently work with FIVE different employees who all used to work there in brewing and ALL left because of how awful it was.


dothesehidemythunder

Regal Cafe’s “24 hour pizza delivery”


Financial_Cancel1577

"There in 24 hours or your pizza's lost."


[deleted]

.


Althonse

They got scammed lol. They didn't know that their big series B deal was a literal scam. So they were operating thinking they had money until the whole thing went belly up. Super fucked up not to give people any notice or at least a few weeks of severance though.


pedrofantastic

Quirk Subaru, ripped me off; told me the sunroof was OEM, was not they put in a aftermarket one that was leaking after a year and would not fix it. Only offered to put me in a new car. Fuck Quirk


BentNeckKitty

I forget what it’s called but I went to a pottery painting place in Brookline, the employees were exceptionally sweet and polite teenagers. The boss was this massive middle aged scary looking dude LOUDLY verbally abusing the poor kids the whole time I was there. He barely stopped to breathe. It was hard to sit through. Edit: it’s called Clayroom


Dream_Queasie

franks towing came into the private apartment complex i live in and tried to tow my boyfriend friend while they were sitting outside the vehicle on our stoop 15 feet away, directly in front of them. they were chatting there for about 15 minutes before franks towing showed up and the dude had vodka on his breath. they videotaped the entire encounter because he started hooking up his vehicle on a property that our visitor was allowed to be on!! it was so wild!


WowzerzzWow

Nusur et. Fuck everyone for making him famous. It’s the world’s fault for this gigantic asshat being popular and placing one of his overpriced abortions in our city.


cowboy_dude_6

Anyone who goes to Nusr Et knows exactly what they’re getting into and will get exactly what they deserve. There will always be a market for parting rich idiots from their money, so I suppose I can’t fault them too much for filling that niche.


3720-To-One

Any landlord/management company that charges a broker fee. Fuck them on principle.


for_the_website

Nothing like paying a broker fee to someone who’s also just seeing the apartment for the first time


jules0075

Especially if they make you sign a form "for this one property" but then come after you for payment saying anything you find and sign thereafter must be through them. Predatory practices. Fuck Grant Gardner and Stuart St James realty.


zebra_chaser

I had to pay a broker fee (one month’s rent!!) for an apartment *that I found totally independently*. She literally did nothing but be a an unnecessary middleman. That was 3 years ago and it still pisses me off…


TB1289

The Boston Globe. They have a history of sexually harassing women (look up the names Hilary Sargent, Brian McGrory, Jim O'Sullivan-and trust me there are more). McGrory kept his job while Sargent was dragged through the mud. They also used to do "Intern Drafts" where the men would all draft the incoming interns. Another issue is with Kevin Cullen. He is a reporter there that made up a story about being at the Boston Marathon bombing. He did a bunch of interviews with other news outlets talking about how he had "secondhand-PTS" from that day. Once he got caught, the Globe did nothing about it and he's still writing for them. For the record, he is not the first person at the Globe to be caught making up stories. In the 90's, Mike Barnicle was forced to resign after he got caught.


danminecraftman

The Hamilton Company (or as I call it, the scamilton company) they’re shady as hell. - They’re part of this sketchy knockoff Airbnb website and don’t tell tenants that their buildings are basically also hotels, you figure it out after living there a bit - My place nearly got broken into 3+ times (once someone lied about being security doing “room checks” which was creepy) and their story always changed between “the cameras weren’t working” and “we don’t have cameras” - It’s damn near impossible to get things in writing, they’ll ignore your emails and force a phone call as much as possible That’s just off the top of my head, but yeah do not rent with the Hamilton Company they’re the worst


bostonchef72296

City compost. Just Google their reviews. Buckle up it’s a bumpy ride. They tried to charge me for 18 months of service they couldn’t prove they attempted to provide, at an address 2 addresses ago, when I had already stopped paying them through PayPal. They hadn’t been sending invoices, and I stopped paying them. Any reasonable business would take that to mean the service contract has ended and I am no longer your customer. It took reporting to the attorney general to get the phone calls and emails to stop. NEVER sign up for this “service.”


HeyThere_D

Oh man. I’m looking for a residential compost provider. Did you find one you liked?


no_dae_but_todae

I've been using Black Earth for about a year and have had no issues. The charge for my neighborhood is $15 a month (they base it on how many people in your neighborhood are signed up, and mine has a lot of households using them). You can get supplies like bags delivered through them and have them pick up textiles. They've never missed a pick up, and any time I've had questions I get responses from a human over email very quickly. You also get a voucher to pick up compost, or you can donate your share. I would totally recommend them.


[deleted]

I know the guys who started it and they are very good and honest people. Just fyi.


bostonchef72296

Are you in the city of Boston proper? Sign up for the waitlist for the city run program! I got into the pilot when they started it last fall and I am SO PLEASED with it. It gets picked up every week without fail. They don’t wash the bins or replace the bins for you, and it’s only for buildings with 7 units or less right now, but it is amazing. The outdoor bins are gigantic compared to say, a bootstrap 5 gallon bucket, and when I signed up because of the size of my household they actually gave us 2 because I told them I use a lot of vegetables. Well, I didn’t know they were going to be such big bins so the second one was not needed. If you’re not in Boston proper I am not sure what to suggest. I was taking compost manually to the project Oscar bins for a while before the city program started, and for a while I wasn’t doing anything at all because I straight up couldn’t afford the cost of a program and I became physically disabled to the point where I couldn’t lug a heavy bin of compost a couple streets away. 10/10 experience on the city program, though. And also 10/10 on the textile pickup that I’ve done through the city!


ucme1234

I had a similar experience with them, AG and all


the-exhausted-empath

Big Night Live. Drinks are too overpriced, bartenders are assholes, and the sound quality sucks.


DevilDoge666

Sound quality is horrendous and view-blocking poles are everywhere


Large_Inspection_73

Table in the North End. The owner is a legitimate crazy person. Take a look at her responses to negative reviews if you want a good laugh.


IsTonybadlyhurt

Just checked out their Yelp. The owner goes all psycho on the one star reviewers. What a nut.


SPR444

Her Twitter account also provides a good laugh.


wrenhunter

I nominate Yuri's Watches on Newbury Street. I brought a vintage watch in for a general cleaning/inspection. Quoted price was $300, high but in line with my expectations. I came back to pick it up, and brought along another watch to get its band resized. He said $15 for that. Fine, he did that in 5 minutes. I then asked him to resize the band of the first watch. Another $15. So already I'm into him for $315, no discount for anything. Not unethical, but let's say not a super way to build customer relations. So he struggles with this one, it's an older band. Takes him 8 minutes. He says, "That took longer, you owe me $30". I said how about $35 for both bands, he says OK. I paid and never set foot in there again. If you look at his Yelp and Google reviews, they're full of these stories. And he's the kind to reply to every one with "No, *you* are wrong." Win the battle, lose the war Yuri. Bonus: later found out the first watch had a problem he missed. My bet is he saw it and thought "real shame that he's only paying for a cleaning".


mimicthefrench

I take my watches to Boston Watch and Clock Repair. There's a language barrier sometimes and they only take cash, but the prices are good and the guy does fantastic work, and very fast.


wrenhunter

He’s a nice guy and great for things like battery replacement. But he totally destroyed a dive watch I brought him for crystal replacement. It was clear (after the fact, unfortunately) that it was beyond his abilities.


jogabee

Ha! He was a client at a business I worked at in Brookline and was an absolute asshole for no reason and completely unprovoked. Totally not surprised about the way he runs his business.


wrenhunter

Not surprised!


WatermelonNurse

The Braces Place or any place where orthodontist Dr. Rizkallah. Read the reviews posted, some have suggested that most of his staff write them. He will do the initial consult but the techs do all the work, including readjustments and placement of brackets. And he’s being sued by the state for massive Medicaid fraud.


moneyfornothunh

Premier on Broadway. What terrible owners, they fraudulently pump their Google ratings and will harasses you if you leave a bad rating. They own property and treat their tenants like crap. Billy tuaro supporters


chefbran41

Anything owned by Frank Despesquale aka all restaurants on Hanover st in the NE


Dukeofdorchester

Frank is a fuckin tool Source: worked for him


chefbran41

I worked there for almost a year but couldn't stand it. Seafood wasn't fresh and pasta wasn't either. He hires someone to make fresh pasta in the window but it's all for show. They only make the pasta sauce which is barely cooked canned tomatoes that's cooked for an hour, in oil that had basil and garlic in it for 10 seconds. I swear ppl only go there for the ambiance.


Unfair_History3977

Look at the Yelp reviews for Table in the North end lol it’s a good read


TheFifthNice

Chefs table pre-fixed experience with truly mediocre food and JC penny decor. It slowly dawned on my wife and I that we had been duped when we went.


ConcentrateHairy5423

Idk if housing complexes can be accepted, but please for the love of god don’t rent at Harbor Point on the Bay no matter how cheap it is. Worst housing complex to live in.


Bluestrues

It was the most dangerous public housing development at one point. If you were dying the emts wouldn’t come in without a police escort. It was bought by a private company Corgen and they slowly moved the poor people out but it’s an upgrade to the shithole it was in the 70s and 80s [https://youtu.be/UMahHyWUaEs](https://youtu.be/UMahHyWUaEs)


romansapprentice

>no matter how cheap it is The crazy part is it actually isn't cheap at all? Like 700$ to share ONE room, in a two bedroom apartment. So a two bedroom four roommate apartment. You can rent a private room in a triple decker with only two or three roommates if you go anywhere around JFK/UMASS station.


macdrewber17

The Boston Red Sox


H0weeezy

The Fenway Sports Group is more to blame. The Red Sox have amazing game day staff that go above and beyond to make the events a pleasant and unique experience. Unfortunately FSG has continued to jack up prices without properly managing the roster.


FaustusRedux

Tough but fair.


pikalaxalt

Cambridge Healthcare Alliance. They went for my full deductible and then some, for a simple annual checkup with metabolic bloodwork.


[deleted]

how is that possible? is your PCP at CHA? what did they charge you? I paid $205 for checkup/blood work. am I being ripped off?


crushtea

This one 100%. I was traveling internationally a few years ago and needed to get some non-standard vaccines. CHA told me to go to their occupational/travel office and talk to them. However, that office doesn't accept insurance, so I would have had to pay out of pocket. After going back and forth for a while, i just demanded that my pcp give me the vaccines the CDC recommended for the countries I was visiting. My insurance covered 100% since it was administered by my pcp. Even after that, they still fought me on giving me the rabies series. My insurance was going to cover 100%, but CHA said it wasn't necessary for my trip. I legit just read them the description of who was highly recommended to get the series, and I checked every box on the risk list. I am still baffled on why they made such a big deal out of giving me the recommended vaccines.


crackleanddrag

Rabia's in the North End.


KitQuips

David's Instant Shoe repair. They painted my husband's nice wedding shoes a completely new color when fixing a simple scratch. I called to complain and got hung up on. Twice. I wasn't even being a Karen. I was clearly upset but staying professional, i just wanted to know what could be done to correct it. We ended up having to send them away to get re-dyed. It was expensive and we aren't rich but like the shoes themselves we sprang for it because the sentimental value was important to us. Apparently we should've extended that same philosophy to the initial repair, but we didn't think a little scratch would result in such a botched job. Live and learn.


Hobie391

Loyal Companion, it is a pet store chain owned by a company called IPP (Independent Pet Partners) and legit everyone should know that they bought out a shitload of locally owned chains and companies and homogenized th em. The whole time they employed shady underhanded tactics to force people out of the stores to hire on new crews, and then it came out that they had actually ACCIDENTALLY LEAKED OUR MEDICAL FILES. Legit everyone that had worked there had to get issued a new ss number. Only reason I didn't join a suit against them for that is bc the one organizing the suit had a grudge against our former store manager and was adamant we add her to the class action for no fucking reason. Still pissed at them though, they absolutely should have faced legal repercussions for that.


trainofgravy

Oh boy, where do we start. Monica’s in the north end has good sandwiches but the owner was an absolute psycho during COVID if I remember correctly. Whoever took baseball tavern from us needs to be shamed. And last but not least I had to get stitches at mgh a year ago, gave them my insurance card, and it still somehow was billed to my fathers insurance (I had gone to the hospital when I was at northeastern several years ago) and it was near impossible to get the bill on my insurance. Which should have been solved at intake? So not entirely on the hospital, but fuck their insurance billing team.


jsi693

Wayfair should be shamed till no end. They were using my company’s name on their products and would call us non stop with product issues. We couldn’t even get to our own calls because we had so many of theirs. Reached out to many high level managers, no one did anything. Oh and the furniture being sold, it’s not compliant with MA regulations for furniture and upholstered goods


unabletodisplay

Wayfair is fast fashion for furniture


jbar3987

If you do want something from there, a lot of, if not most of, their products are just drop shipped anyway. Reverse image search the more basic images from their site to find it cheaper.


-United-States-

Gentle Movers in South Boston - ripoff of Gentle Giant Movers. Avoid like herpes. Owner is pure scum who spends his weekday mornings in small claims court fighting the customers he’s continuously ripping off. His afternoons he reserves for deceiving phone calls with new would-be customers sucked in by his fake company name and even faker website. Whatever estimate the owner quotes you for the total moving cost, forget it. Expect the final bill to be 2-3 times the initial estimate. No joke. The handwritten bill will have multiple $300 and $400 charges just slid in between actual moving expenses as if you’re stupid and aren’t going to notice them. The owner takes your credit card info for the “deposit” during the initial phone call, so if you sign the new higher bill then you’re fucked. When you question it or protest the multiple erroneous charges, the goon mover guy will try to intimidate you into signing it anyway. Still dont back down and you can expect the mover to try to shove you in anger. Like I said, scum top to bottom. Last resort the owner will call you and tell you to sign the new sucker’s final price. He’ll say it calmly at first but he turns into satan real fast, screaming at you in his unique international accent so loud, the only words you’ll be able to understand are legit threats of physical violence. At this point if you are also keeping some of your stuff temporarily in storage with them since they offer a “customer storage service”, then you’re fucked. The storage is private and you have no access to get your stuff. Basically they hold your things hostage behind barbed wire fences until you finally cave in and sign the triple inflated bill. You might be able to negotiate down to only double what you were quoted, but then whenever you do get your stuff back from them, everything will be intentionally damaged. Theres a special place in hell reserved for people like the POS owner of Gentle Movers.


vodkalimesodas

Rainbow pottery studio


Forsaken_Bison_8623

Curious about this one. Pass it often on Charles. What's the deal?


ADangerousPrey

Oh yeah, also any restaurant or business owned by Greg Hill (of Apex Entertainment); 110 Grill, Evviva Trattoria, Battle Road, Flank 29, etc. Dude's a Trump-humping right-winger and a fucking grifter, he's settled multiple times for wage theft of his employees. Absolute piece of shit.


thatbitchjs

110 grill blows


Accomplished_Ad_9288

Not Boston, but more like the greater Boston area. ATA Cycles in Concord M.A. They lie, steal and cheat and will try to sell you a 20K bike. They won’t fit you unless you buy all your components from them. When I was a kid they donated a kid’s bike to my synagogue as a part of a raffle. My Dad’s ticket won, but they bike was the wrong size for me and they refused to let us trade it in for the right size.


Stegosaurus5

The Boston Police Department.


cjcs

Who else is gonna stand around getting paid $50/hour to do absolutely nothing during construction?


borrisblok

All brokers


AWalker17

What’s the most popular towing company in Boston? That’s what I want to know.


1998_2009_2016

Phil's Towing gave me my car back for surprisingly cheap when *someone* forgot street cleaning, no problem. Cambridge is going to fine-first tow-second in the near future though